Here's how to hide your location information from stalkers

Mar. 26, 2011

Written by

Kim Komando

Flickr and Twitter are great for staying in touch with family and friends. Just post a quick message or share a photo. But you may be sharing much more than you bargained for.

What if a stranger could use your posts to see where you live and where you go? Thanks to a free program called Cree.py, anyone could do just that. Cree.py searches your posts for location information.

How does this work? To understand it fully, you must understand geo-tagging. Geo-tagging adds GPS coordinates to a tweet or photo. You probably use your smartphone to post to Twitter and to take photos. GPS information is likely added. And you don't even know it.

Once Cree.py finds GPS information in your posts, it creates a map. You'll see the location where photos were taken or posts made. It can reveal where you live and work. It can reveal your child's school and your daily routine. Thieves, pedophiles and stalkers will have directions right to you. I made a video so that you can see Cree.py in action. Visit www.komando.com/news to watch it now.

Removing GPS data

Let's start with your photos. When you take a photo, your camera embeds data in it. Normally, you don't see this EXIF data unless you look for it. But it contains a wealth of information. You can learn about the camera and the settings used to take a photo.

The EXIF data is also where you'll find GPS coordinates. So, you'll want to remove EXIF data when posting photos online. You can do this with a free program like EXIF-O-Matic. Get it at Komando.com/news.

Blocking location services

Wiping EXIF data is easy enough. But you don't have to do that every time you upload a photo. Most cameras can't add GPS data without optional accessories and software. However, there is a notable exception to this: Smartphones. So you should prevent your smartphone from embedding location information in photos.

The latest iPhone software lets you block certain apps from accessing location information. Tap Settings, General, Location Services. Make sure your Camera app is set to Off. You may also want to disable Location Services on other apps.

(Page 2 of 2)

With older versions of the iPhone software, it's an all-or-nothing affair. But there is a workaround. Tap Settings, General, Reset. Select Reset Location Warnings, Reset Warnings. Open the Camera app. When prompted to allow access to location information, tap Don't Allow. When you launch other apps, you'll be given the same choice.

In Android, open the camera app. Then open the camera menu. Select Store Location and make sure it is turned off.

On the BlackBerry, launch the camera and press the Menu button. Choose Options and set the Geotagging option to Disabled. Save your settings.

Block GPS data

You should also block Flickr and Twitter from displaying GPS information. This is easy enough for Twitter. Sign in and go to your settings page. Make sure Enable Geotagging is deselected. This should block GPS information, no matter where you tweet from.

On Flickr, sign in to your account. Click Your Account. Open the Privacy & Permissions tab. Click edit beside "Who will be able to see your stuff on a map." Choose who can see your location information. You can restrict this to friends or family, for example. Click Save. Then click edit beside "Import EXIF location data." Deselect the option to import the information and click Save.

Don't put yourself and your family in a dangerous situation. Fortunately, you can hide your location information. Now, you know how.